WESTFORD— In a joint meeting, the Finance Committee and Select Board reviewed the FY25 budget and its impacts on several departments in town with two proposed budgets.
Overview of budgetary challenges
The Select Board, Finance Committee, and School Committee began to meet individually as early as January 2023 to highlight potential challenges in the budget.
These challenges came into “clearer focus” in May 2023 according to Town Manager Kristen Las, with a report from the Budget Task Force in October 2023 outlining several challenges and suggested cost-cutting measures to balance the town’s budget.
Las and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christopher Chew prepared two budgets, one requiring a Proposition 2 ½ override and a balanced budget with “significant cuts” that would meet the Proposition 2 ½ limit. Las and Dr. Chew then presented their budgets to the Select Board…
